Islam is the second most popular religion in the world after Christianity. Muslims make up about two billion people worldwide. They inhabit a huge portion of Asia and Africa. There have also been sizable Muslim communities in the West since 1900. At some point, many Christians interact with Muslims. Thus, it seems sense to inquire about the primary distinctions between Islam and Christianity. However, we’ll start by talking about the similarities before moving on to the contrasts.
Similarities between Christianity and Islam
Both of the major global faiths are monotheistic. Both view the worship of multiple gods as idolatry, which is strictly prohibited. Both religions have a book as their primary written source—the Qur’an for Muslims and the Bible for Christians—and are based on prophets like Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. There is another similarity between the two religions. Abraham’s son Ishmael was the ancestor of the Arabs, the first Muslims. Through his second son Isaac, Abraham is also considered the father of the Jews, who were the first Christians. Islam and Christianity both identify as religions of peace. It is the duty of believers to live morally and peacefully. For this reason, both Muslims and Christians value prayer and almsgiving.
Differences between Christianity and Islam
Alongside their many commonalities, Islam and Christianity also diverge greatly. Because of these profound distinctions, the two religions are ultimately irreconcilable. I’ll discuss four of them here:
- While both Islam and Christianity are monotheistic, Christianity also holds to the trinitarian theory. Christians acknowledge the [trinity] of God. God is a single Being who exists as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is unfathomable to Muslims. They hold that there can be only one God. While acknowledging this, Christians continue to hold that there are three distinct persons in God. Though inexplicable to the human understanding, Scripture makes this very evident. Salvation depends on [the Son’s Deity] and the Spirit. We are not saved if the Son and the Spirit are not God.
- Jesus is considered a prophet by both Islam and Christianity, but Christianity views Jesus as much more than that. The Son of God, the anticipated Messiah, is [Jesus]. He made God and man right. Three days after his crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead. He offers eternal life to all who trust in Him. Muslims believe that a different person was crucified instead of Jesus. They believe that Christians and Jews are opposing becoming Muslims and are falsifying the Bible. Although Jesus was a remarkable prophet, He was not God. But the Bible is the trustworthy word of God and the Lord Jesus for Christians. Life can be found in the Bible! Christians do not recognize Muhammad, who Muslims believe to be the most significant prophet of all time.
- Both Muslims and Christians believe that God is just and merciful. Muslims are unsure, therefore, if God is more kind than just. It won’t be clear until the Day of Judgment whether or not they have done enough good deeds to earn Allah’s pardon. However, Christians understand that their efforts will never be sufficient to appease God. However, out of pure grace, God offered His own Son as an atonement. People can participate in the reconciliation through grace. They get this via faith and the work of the Holy Spirit without doing anything. Muslims never know if they will be saved, while Christians know for sure. Muslims need to advance via hard labor. What God offers from above is given to Christians free of charge.
- There is a significant book in both religions. But compared to the Bible, the Qur’an is far less comprehensive. The Bible was written over a millennium, while the Qur’an was composed in roughly twenty years. As a result, the Bible has a greater number of texts and spans a considerably wider historical period. There is no need to translate the Qur’an. The Bible has been (partially) translated into over a thousand languages and was originally written in two languages.
Conclusion
In summary, there appear to be a lot of surface-level parallels between Islam and Christianity. Upon closer examination, however, there are some key distinctions. The four main issues are as follows:
- Who God is
- Who Jesus is
- What sin is
- Which book is vital
